


Salvation / Levi Ackerman fanfiction

by Silent__875



Category: Attack on Titan, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action & Romance, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Comfort/Angst, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Sex, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, First Time, I'm Bad At Summaries, Levi Ackerman is Bad at Feelings, Levi is Whipped (Shingeki no Kyojin), Light Dom/sub, Mental Health Issues, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Original Character(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Levi Ackerman, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Soft Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Strong Female Characters, levi is basically mr darcy of aot, more don't like each other to liking each other rather than enemies to lovers actually, non-binary Hange, simp levi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:08:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29705232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silent__875/pseuds/Silent__875
Summary: Oi, insufferable brat! Don't you dare dieIf you dwell on the past you'll never be able to move on, the pain will eventually eat you from the inside. This is why you have to move forward so that their death wasn't in vain.This is a lesson Alena had to learn the hard way. Spiralling into the darkness of her own mind will she be able to protect those she loves? Were the sacrifices of her loved ones even enough? Yet, in all of this dark world, she manages to find her own piece of peace, a safe haven when she sees his stormy grey eyes.* Will features some mature themes, slight gore and sexual scenesStarted on 26/02/2021I’ll post once a week
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Original Female Character(s), Levi Ackerman/Original Female Character(s), Levi/OC
Kudos: 11





	1. Author's notes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See notes at the end

Well, welcome! Thank you for choosing to read my fic. Hope you'll like it. ;)

This is the first time that I actually write and publish something so bear with me, I know I'm not the best writer out there but I'm trying my best. I'm open to constructive criticism to help me improve (and for a future story do you guys prefer 1st person narration or 3rd? I'm not sure which one I feel more comfortable writing in so a few inputs are quite welcomed.

This is a Levi x OC fanfic but you can imagine yourself as the main character if you want to, as for the storyline I will follow the anime for the most part ( at least until season 3, I have yet to decide what I'm going to do for season 4 since not every episode is out yet and I don't know how the story will end and if I want my fic to have the same ending). I may change and twist the plot a little but not that much to incorporate the OC. 

Obviously will contain spoilers for the AOT series and the OVA "No regrets" and the OVA «Ilse's Notebook »  
Also, because I thought it was incredibly sweet and touching, I will use the amazing fan comic by the artist Hitomi for more content on Levi's background as canon for the story (if you haven't seen it yet, I will put the youtube video's link in the media section).

The story will be written in an external pov (3rd person) at least the prologue will be and I'll try to see if I can write anything good in 1st person. 

The fic will include a graphic description of death and violence (typical canon violence nothing too extreme either) as well as strong language and curses (mainly from Levi).

As for the more mature theme, that is, explicit description of sex, I simply put a warning at the beginning of the chapter if there is

I won't be writing NSFW too much and surely not towards the beginning of the story as I want their relationship to grow before any of that.

I'll also try to include some fluff now and then to ease up the tension among all the angst.

As for my OC, I wanted to make her a little bit older but for the plot and because I'm very detail-oriented I had to make her under 30 (if you know the AOT plot I think you'll quickly put two and two together and quickly understand why as you read it) but she will OBVIOUSLY be an adult, I do not support the romanticization of relationships between adults and teenagers.

So that you can have an idea of their age at different time points:

Alena: 19y. in 844; 20 in 845; 25 in 850 and 29 in 854

Levi : 26y. in 844; 27 in 845; 32 in 850 and 36 in 854

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Attack on Titan or any of its character. I only own my OC and her own storyline. All credits go to Isayama Hajime, creator of Attack on titan series.

Thanks 😊


	2. That day, the fall of Shiganshina pt.1

That day, humanity remembered... The terror of being ruled by them...

The humiliation of being kept in a cage...

The Year: 845 — Shiganshina District

Humanity had stayed within these walls, for a hundred years, sheltered in its protection against the dreadful creatures that wandered outside of their vicinity. They first appeared over a hundred years ago. Giant, humanoid creatures with a taste for our blood. Humanity was shoved to the brink of extinction almost overnight, and those who survived erected Walls Maria, Rose, and Sina and retracted within the Walls for what was to be decades of uncertain and uneasy peace.

In the year 845, that peace came to an end.

For a moment, everything was still, no one dared to move, terror going through their body as they were finally forced to acknowledge the gut-churning reality that had resided outside of the walls for so long. A reality that many had forgotten, sheltered inside of their home. Everyone around stopped their daily activities in order to face the giant, fleshless monstrosity that was peeking at them over the wall.

And then, everything moved forward, chunks of stones flying everywhere, bodies crashing to the ground from the force of the blow. Everyone was screaming, running and trampling one another in terror as the first flow of titans started to appear at the door of the city. Yet again, humanity was at their mercy.

Eren didn't waste time before rushing towards his house, worry filling his entire being at the thought of his mother alone over there. His childhood best friend rushing by his side.

"MOM !"

"Eren..." he felt his heart drop to his stomach at the view of his mother crushed by the debris of his home.

"Mikasa, grab that side! We have to get this off her"

both children tried in vain to free Carla, but it was useless

"HURRY MIKASA"

"I know"

"Eren... the titans... they are here, aren't they? Hurry, take Mikasa and leave" his mother urgently told him

" Not without you. I want to run, so HURRY AND GET OUT OF THERE"

"My legs were crushed by the rubble, even if I get out, I can't run. You understand, don't you?"

"THEN I'LL CARRY YOU" tears streamed down his face

"WHY DO YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME? At least listen to me this one time." Carla then tried to convince the most reasonable child of the two "Mikasa!" the girl was on her knees crying "no..."

"If you don't go, all three of us will die. Is that what you want?" A blond figure appeared in front of them

"Hannes! Take the children and run!"

"Don't underestimate me, Karla. I'll defeat the Titan, and save you all!" he answered overconfidently

"Wait! Don't try to fight it!" she begged

He ran towards the beast with assurance, however when the time came to actually lay a hit on the titan he froze, terrified. The titan stood in front of him, dull emotionless eyes and a sick twisted smile that stretched across its face, almost taunting him. He couldn't do it, he was incapable of fighting, and at this moment he knew what was left to do. So he ran back, grabbed both children and ran as fast as he could.

"Wait, Hannes! What are you doing?" cried Eren "My mom is still back there!"

"thank you..." Carla put her head down in defeat, finally able to let go of her brave face she had to put in front of the children, ready to accept her faith. She looked one last time towards her son fighting against Hannes with all of his might "Eren! Mikasa! You must survive!"

she felt the grip of the titan against her waist and her body being lifted from the ground. She started kicking and punching the beast in rage putting one last fight.

Eren eyes widened as he heard the sinister crack of his mother's spine, forced to watch her lifeless body entering the gulf of the titan's mouth. Blood splattered everywhere, some bits on his face. He felt like his heart was being torn apart.

One day, he will avenge her death.

_______________________________________

The Year: 845, the day after the attack — Karanes District

Alena felt her stomach twist in fear and worry as she heard the news: Wall Maria had fallen, the Shiganshina district fell into the hands of the enemy. Was her family ok? Did they manage to escape? Or were they already gone, eaten alive by titans. Her mind was all over the place as the memories of her family and her home filled her head. She prepared her horse as fast as she could, rushing towards Trost district, hoping that her family had survived the attack and that they were safe.

In the year 845, Twenty per cent of the human race perished.

Two terrifying new breeds of Titan appeared: the Colossal and the Armored, barreling through the outer walls as if the whole thing was child's play.

In blood and thunder, our way of life ended. The peace within the walls was no longer there. And the Titans fed their hunger for human flesh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys, I'm not sure of what I'm supposed to say in an author's note. I hope that little taste of the story was enough to intrigue you. Was the writing okay? I know many fanfic readers prefer to read in 1st or 2nd person narration and I tried to write it that way but it's just not my style. I also gave the character a name because it was easier for me ( fun fact: she was supposed to be named Yelena, but then I started season 4 and saw that there will be a character named Yelena- who I don't particularly like btw- I decided to change it to Alena since I thought it may create some awkward dialogue later on.) 
> 
> Fav and comments if you liked it? 
> 
> Next update soon!


	3. Joining the military

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof- I'm FINALLY done with chapter one!!  
> I always find the first chapter to be the hardest to write. I could have split the chapter in two but oh well what's done is done. I'm not 100% satisfied with the way it turned out but I feel like if I don't force myself to publish it anyway I'll never find it good enough. Plus I can always edit it later so I think it's fine. 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this hope you'll enjoy it!
> 
> I'm almost done with chapter 2, it should be up in a few days

The year: 844 - District of Trost

“You now have three options after you graduate from the Cadets today: The Garrison Regiment, who is in charge of reinforcing the walls and protecting each city. The Scout Regiment, who risk their lives and venture into Titan territory outside the walls. And finally, the Military Police Regiment, which serves under the king and preserves order. Of course, only the top ten cadets that were previously named are allowed to join the Military Police.”

Alena was standing in line in front of the other cadets, although it was expected that she would be in the top 10, she was still pleasantly surprised to learn that she actually ranked first and that she had the possibility to join the Military Police. The cadets were soon dismissed and she quickly ran up to her two friends.

“You made it Alena! You’re the first of the promotion congrats” squeaked her closest friend Sienna. Her soft light brown locks were bouncing as she approached, the girl was like a ray of sunshine every place she went. This was what first drew Alena to become closer to her when they first met three years ago in the mess hall of the training camp. The joyful girl sat next to her and chatted her ears off, and she stayed by her side ever since- Aiden came along a few weeks later, despite their permanent bickering Sienna and him were practically inseparable.

“I had no doubts that she would be” Aiden added smiling brightly  
“ Thanks, you two did a pretty good job as well. We all made it to the top 10” she chuckled, the past three years of training had been hard on everyone, and she was relieved that it finally came to an end.

“So, what regiment will you be joining?” Alena already had an idea of where she wanted to go but was still curious to know where her two friends will be after the graduation ceremony. 

“I’ll be joining the Military Police, there’s no way I trained that hard just to turn it down” Aiden answered, he talked about joining the MPs since the first day he arrived, she remembered the time he had told her he wanted to work for the king so that his village would be proud of him.

“ I was also thinking of joining the Military Police, I want to be able to help the people in the capital. I know many officers are corrupt and I hope that with more people like you and me, we’ll eventually be able to make a change.” Alena knew that what she was making was a safe choice, and she had hesitated for a while between the MPs and the Garrison because of her family back in Shiganshina: on one hand, as a garrison soldier, she would have been close to home and her family, on the other, she could work in the capital and ensure a safe place for her family in case anything happens. In addition, she wouldn’t have much to do as a garrison soldier and feared that her life may quickly become monotonous. She wanted to impact the world around her, not just a safe position in the military. 

“ I want to join the scouts” 

Sienna’s voice was barely a whisper but Alena heard it loud and clear in the stillness of the night. 

“what?”  
“I want to see the world, I want to explore and go beyond these walls. I want to see it at least once in my life” she explained, her eyes sparkling in wonder and excitement. She always had a fascination for the wonders of the outside world, of what was beyond the walls 

“Are you stupid? You’ll die. Just go in the military police like the two of us” exclaimed Aiden, although he was a nice guy, he could be insensitive to others feelings. Only thinking of what he wanted instead of seeing the viewpoint of others. 

“I won’t die, I’m strong and I can fight them. And I already made my choice a while ago” her eyes were sparkling with determination and excitement as she said it  
“you can’t possibly think that-”  
“I think that it’s a great idea, after all, you were 4th of the promotion if someone can do it, it’s you” she interrupted softly to end the argument before it even began. That was the dynamic of their group, the two of them would start bickering and Alena had to break up their fights. Unfortunately for her, this time Aiden was not ready to back down and decided that he would protest against Sienna’s decision. 

The trio stayed there for a while longer, Aiden and Sienna heavily argued about the Scouts and Alena was trying her best to monitor. Eventually, Aiden conceded that his friend’s choice was made and decided to give her an earful of everything she did wrong while using ODM and how she needed to fix it. Although he would never admit it, it was clear for anyone that his constant nagging towards Sienna was because of the feelings he had for her. Alena smiled softly as she watched the two of them, sometimes she just wished they both would just get in a relationship already. 

They then headed towards the mess hall for their last meal together before they each had to leave for their respective regiment. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Seven months had passed since the trio joined the military police, as expected her life in the capital city was peaceful most of the time. She had a good salary and even bought a little house in Trost- she liked to go there on her day off and it would be easier for her family to travel from Shiganshina to Trost rather than all the way to Mitras for the days they would want to visit her. 

Yet, Alena was struck by the bitterness of her job, and how her life turned out to be since she graduated from the trainee corps. 

When she first joined the ranks several months ago, she foolishly believed that she would be able to make a change in this world, but the harsh reality quickly crashed down on her: corruption exuded from every part of the military police: you either were corrupted yourself or you would choose not to meddle in the business of those who are corrupted. The members who spoke against it were heavily reprimanded by their comrades; she still remembered the first time she got into an argument with an older officer for selling illegal merchandise in the streets: she had gotten beaten down to a pulp by other officers and later that day, her captain reprimanded her for creating a scene in public.

Aiden on the contrary seemed to be in his element. He quickly sympathized with others and even got promoted to the Anti-Personnel Control Squad 6 months into the forces. They hardly talked to one another since the death of their friend Sienna. 

She had died after 5 months in the Survey Corps, it was reported that on the day of the expedition, a group of abnormals had ambushed Sienna’s squad and only two members survived. The soldiers were not even able to bring home the bodies of their fallen comrades. It was a hard time for both of them when they learned about it, and it hurted, even more, when they were asked to come and collect Sienna’s personal belongings in order to bring them back to her family. Knowing how much he cared for the young woman, Alena tried to be there for Aiden but he dismissed her with a level of disdain she didn’t know he was capable of. Her sympathy and attempt to bring comfort seemed to be infuriating to him: he blamed her for encouraging Sienna’s decision, blamed her for Sienna’s death. At first, he would simply walk away whenever she was near, but then, one day he exploded with rage. He screamed and yelled for what seemed to be hours on end, he kicked any object that was nearby. Their friendship ended on that day, he announced that he was being promoted to the elite squad that serves directly under the king. On the moment of his departure, at the doorstep he said : 

“She was a dreamer, too naive for her own good. It was our duty to protect her from this and you didn’t even try to change her mind, if you had told her not to do it, she would have been in the military police with us. This is entirely your fault, she’s dead and it's because of you. I wish you would have died instead, I can’t even look at your face anymore… You’re dead to me.” 

He then left. His words were harmful, she knew he was hurt, and as a way to cope with Sienna’s death he needed someone to blame, someone to be mad at, and she was that someone. Still, she found he was being unfair, after all, she also lost a dear friend of her, she was also in grief. She had to cry every night, alone with no one to confide in: she didn’t want to worry her parents, and she had no friends other than him. She was left alone spiralling in her own sadness and self-doubt. 

Was he right? Was it her fault if Sienna was now just a pile of limbs in a titan’s stomach? At least why didn’t she try to reason with her? Was she that much of a bad friend? Did she lead Sienna to her own death? 

After that, Alena was starting to get discouraged and wanted to join the garrison instead; she could ask for a transfer to Shiganshina and be closer to her family. She realized that her dreams of reforming the way the system works were pointless, and in retrospect, she thought that it wouldn’t be a bad thing to finally have one soldier in Shanganshina that wasn’t a drunk idiot for once. She was already acquainted with many of them, maybe she could convince them to change and be better soldiers? Nonetheless, she still had to wait for a couple of months before asking for the change: soldiers were required to serve for a full year before they would be allowed to change their military branch. 

“Cadet! The captain is asking for you in his office” an officer quickly shot at her before disappearing. She hurried to her captain’s office. She still felt uneasy around him since her early days in the regiment, she came to the realisation that captain Welch wasn’t that bad of a captain per se, sure his morals could be up for debate, but at least he took his work very seriously.  
He was thorough with his work and hardly called his subordinates to his office unless they were in trouble. What did I do this time? she wondered

She knocked two times on his door before entering the room

“You wished to see me sir?” she asked softly as she went through the door and saluted. 

“Ah yes, you’ll be going on a mission underground tomorrow with two members of the APC squad. Your goal will be to find Carl Byrd and arrest him, the man is wanted for his crimes against members of the military but that’s not all. Apparently, some fools from the Survey Corps took interest in the man, the old jester is running around claiming that he has information on titans. It’s complete bullshit if you ask me but they insist on seeing the man. I don’t trust these damn survey imbeciles one bit so I want you to report anything out of the ordinary. They might be stupid enough to believe his blabbering and try to make a deal with him: we can’t have that happen. He needs to pay for his crimes. You’re the fastest and most skilled soldier when it comes to using the gear. If they try to make a deal, I expect you to immediately arrest the man and bring him here. Understood?”  
“ Yes sir!” she exclaimed. He then gave her further information on her mission and what she needed to know about the man, the potential tracks to find him, and finally with whom she would have to work with during the mission- and to say that she was apprehensive after that would be the understatement of the year. She was finally dismissed after an hour. 

She had trouble falling asleep that night: this was her first big mission since she joined the forces. She was a skilled soldier but her little stunts and bad habit of getting in trouble with fellow officers when she first arrived put her in a position where none of her superiors or comrades wanted to entrust her with any mission of that kind. Plus, she was also anxious to see the underground, she heard stories about that place, how it was overflowing with poverty and ruled by criminals. People in Shiganshina were not the richest people within the walls but they were lucky enough to live in the countryside, it was a beautiful place to grow up in. It was hard to imagine what life must feel like down there, deprived of the sun, nature, the ability to truly enjoy oneself. It made her stomach churn to even imagine the poor souls having to grow up there. 

The following morning, she met up with Aiden and a more experienced officer named Harold. She wasn’t particularly delighted by the prospect of working alongside her former friend because of the way they left things off a month ago when he was promoted. The fight was quite nasty and she did not want him to pester her during the mission.

Fortunately, it seems like he opted to simply give her the cold shoulder instead of nagging at everything she says. 

All three of them arrived at the meeting point with the members of the Survey Corps. The three soldiers were already waiting near the entrance of the staircase that was leading underground. Her eyes first landed on a brunette talking excitedly to a man with light hair, he wore a worried expression on his face while reprimanding his comrade. Next to them, a much shorter man with raven hair was leaning against the wall, a deep scowl on his face as he glanced towards the MPs direction.

“Tch, you’re late. If you’re going to be unprofessional don’t bother showing up at all” he commented, although he clearly looked displeased, his deep voice was laced with boredom  
“Unlike you useless loons we valuable soldiers are actually busy.” Harold boasted while tying his horse  
“tch, you’re just-”  
“I’m sure that guys are quite busy! I’m squad section commander Hange Zoe, this is my second executive officer Moblit Berner and the grumpy face over here is Captain Levi. We are looking forward to work with you” the brunette was clearly trying to dismiss the situation for the sake of the mission. They were thrilled about it and starting an argument with military officers was the least of their problems right now.  
“Yeah right, let’s just get this over with” Aiden grumbled sourly, moving towards the Underground's entrance while Alena was left awkwardly introducing herself and the two males working with her. 

The first thing she noticed was how humid the air in the underground was. She then took notes on the wariness in people’s faces as they approached -maybe wearing our uniforms wasn’t the smartest decision- since it was a crime-ridden city it would be expected that many would refuse to cooperate with soldiers. 

After a couple of minutes, she was interrupted from her thoughts as she felt something softly pressing against her tight. She looked down to see a frail child, he seemed to be around six, maybe seven years old, his lips were dry and his cheeks hollow from starvation. She felt her heart tighten at the sight, this could have been her baby brother if they weren’t lucky enough to be born above the ground. 

“Do you have some coins to spare?” he softly asks  
“Oh!” was all she could respond before fumbling in her pockets, searching for her purse.

However, before she had the opportunity to give him any money, Aiden appeared by her side to chase away the small kid 

“Put your nasty little hands off and get lost” he growled and the kid quickly went away fearful of what may happen to him.  
She turned around to face the male, ready to argue but knowing her, he immediately started to reprimand her.  
“What were you thinking Alena? We're here on a mission not to play the little heroes. Just focus” When he mentioned the mission her eyes diverted to the survey’s members, more specifically on the grey orbs shooting daggers towards her direction, although his face wore a bored expression, his eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes seemed to be glowing with anger. 

Was he mad at her for putting the mission at risk? She merely digressed from it for an instant, surely it wouldn’t make her a bad soldier just for that? 

She blushed and averted her gaze from him, assuming that he may have been mad at her for getting distracted- when in fact, he was mostly furious to see how her comrade was quick to chase the kid away like he was some sort of stray animal, a nuisance to shoosh away. 

After looking around for about an hour, they were finally on a lead. Alena was asked to look around the bar for anything suspicious around the bar while Hanji, Moblit and Harold questioned the bartender. She passed near a narrow alley when someone grabbed her shoulder, she turned around ready to tackle her assailant when the woman’s voice reached her ears

“Please don’t. I need your help, please” the woman was a tad taller than her, she seemed to be older too, maybe near her forties. Her clothes were worn but still in good shape.  
“ what is it” she demanded  
“My husband is going crazy, he drinks all the time and lately, he’s starting to become more and more violent, he threatened to kill me, I need help getting my things before leaving for a safer place. He’s out right now so this is my only chance to get my things. Please help me. I live just down the street, I’ll be quick. I just need someone to help me in case he comes back. I’m begging you please” 

Alena clicked her tongue before glancing towards the bar, the bartender still seemed to be resilient to talk, if they were truly quick, maybe she could help that woman and come back before anyone notices? 

“You have ten minutes, after that, I’m leaving, got it?”  
“Oh thank you so much, sweetheart!”  
They were about to enter the alley when her shoulder was grabbed yet again, this time with much more force  
“Oi, where the fuck are you going” the raven-haired man scowled  
“The interrogation will probably last for a while, I’m just helping this woman”  
“What are you retarded” he blustered before turning to the older woman “get lost before I decide to beat your sorry ass” he hissed 

She simply scowled and walked away. Alena was astonished by his behaviour! How could he simply threaten a poor woman like that? 

“What is wrong with you! She needed help and I-”  
“Gosh are you really that dense? She was a human trafficker. They use this excuse all the time to lure women and sell them to brothels. A woman like you in uniform would probably have given her a handful of money. I thought you were trained to use your brain but seems like Military police really are full of dumb shits” she was flabbergasted and to be honest, she was also embarrassed by his words. She was aware that many women were abducted around there but the thought that this woman might be a trafficker never crossed her mind. 

“Tch. You’re not even going to answer? Stop being heedless. I'm not here to babysit some MP airhead” for some reason, his bored expression maddened her, sure she was naive but she was a very capable soldier and he hardly knew anything about her. He had no rights to say such things. He started to walk back near the bar when she huffed “arrogant bastard” under her breath. He turned around, eyes flaming.

“What the fuck did you just say?” he barked at her. Well, she didn’t think he would hear her but it was too late to back down anyway.

“I said: you arrogant bastard. You don’t know a thing about me and yet you think that you can just throw insults at me?”

In the blink of an eye, he quickly strolled towards her and they were soon facing each other making her gasp and take a step back. They were about the same height -she may have been an inch or two taller even- and yet he seemed to be towering over her as if he was 8ft tall. It pained her to admit, the small man was quite intimidating right now and she was starting to lose her brave attitude from a few seconds earlier. 

Levi wasn’t sure what it was about that woman, but seeing the way she behaved ever since they stepped foot underground ticked him off: the surprised and pitiful look she sent towards the child, the way she slightly blushed and put her head down when the blond man scolded her. The way she gently approached people before questioning them or even now as she furrowed her brows while softly clenching her fists. Just as he was about to answer back Hange’s voice erupted behind him: they finally had the location of the man. He scoffed and left without sparring the young woman another look. 

After following the bartender’s instructions, they finally arrived at Byrd’s location. The man tried to put up a fight but to no avail against six soldiers. He was now handcuffed in the middle of his living room while Hange questioned him. However, there was a slight problem. Every time the man tried to speak, Aiden would huff or growl at him to make sense, he was probably starting to lose patience considering that the mission took them most of the day. But his behaviour was still childlike to Alena’s opinion, plus with all of his talking the man barely managed to give a full sentence. When she tried to reason with him, he growled at her that he was done hearing the old man’s bullshit and pushed her away. Levi took a step toward him when Harold decided to intervene. 

“Oi, Aiden. You need to calm down, go outside and come back when you’re cool off” his voice was full of authority, leaving no room for discussion. The two men shared a pointed look before Aiden finally nodded his head and left the apartment, leaving the door open behind him. They were finally able to resume the man’s interrogation. After 10 minutes of Hange tiring the man out, he finally began to talk: 

“You bunch of fools! You don’t even have a clue, do you? They’re lying to us, manipulating us. You really wanna stop the titans? Then you need to acquire their power, you’ll need to find them, find where the family is hiding and-”

The man’s speech was suddenly interrupted by gunshots. Blood erupted from his body as he fell to the ground. Alena rushed to his side with Hange and Moblit while Levi and Harold rushed outside to catch the shooter. The man however was dead, two gunshots on his forehead while a pool of blood was starting to form around him. His empty eyes bored into hers, his mouth slightly agape a trail of blood dripping from it. She felt her stomach churn at the sign, she had to deal with murders before but generally, the bodies were already covered by the time she arrived and the victim long gone. This was the first time she directly saw the death of someone before her eyes. 

Hange screamed out their frustration before kicking on a chair nearby “He knew something Moblit! I can’t believe we were this close to finding information on titans” 

Levi and Harold came back with Aiden: whoever the shooter was had been efficient enough to disappear without leaving any traces. Aiden claimed that he was in another street when he had heard the sounds of gunshots and ran back as fast as he could. The mission was unsuccessful. 

As they were heading out she kept replaying the man’s last words in her head. Did he actually knew something about the titans? Or was he just making up stories in order to delay his arrest? She guesses that they will never know now. She was a little frustrated that they weren’t able to find the shooter. The most logical explanation as to why he got shot was the fact that the man was involved in shady businesses and that one of his associates must have thought he was giving away information to the military police. 

She wasn’t near as frustrated as Hange though. They had been complaining to Moblit and Levi the entire way back about how close they were to find out more secrets about titans. 

She was fastening her horse when she felt someone’s gaze boring into her back. She turned around and met the captain's stormy grey eyes on her. He was sitting on his horse, watching closely as if he was trying to gauge her, to read her mind. She felt a shudder run down her spine, her heart was beating fast, she turned back around and wondered what was going through his head right now. She will certainly never forget her first meeting with that man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot of them going to the underground bc there is a man with information on the titans is definitely inspired by another fanfic I read a while ago but I can't remember which one, I'll make sure to tag them once I remember the name of the fic


	4. That day, the fall of Shiganshina pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, thank you for the kudos!  
> I was supposed to post this chapter a few days ago but I decided to rewrite chapter one instead and I'm more satisfied with the result now, so if anyone read chapter one when I first posted it, I'll advise you should re-read the edited version since I added more details. 
> 
> Enjoy your reading!

Alena arrived in Trost at the beginning of the afternoon, the main square swarmed with people. The whole city was immersed in chaos. Soldiers and those in charge of receiving the refugees were running around. People were lining up waiting for food, the recently made orphans were crying, injured citizens were lying on the floor, pain and visible on their faces. Others were regaining their strength, traumatized, empty dull eyes gazing into the void. 

She gulped and continued to look around for familiar faces, she was shaking, they were nowhere to be seen. She yelled their name as she was looking more urgently in each corner ignoring the glares she received for being too obnoxious at a time like this. After half an hour of wandering around the city, she stopped in her tracks, breathing heavily, her head was dizzy and her hands shook uncontrollably. She had to face it: they were probably all dead, they didn’t manage to flee and now they were dead.

Her body crashed on the ground while she silently sobbed. She was all alone. She should have been with them, if she hadn’t chosen to be in the Military Police she wouldn’t have been so far from home. She could have saved them or at least they would’ve died together. 

About half an hour later she finally found the strength to walk back to her horse, that’s when she heard a kid arguing with two soldiers from the garrison.

“You don't know what it's like! You've never even seen it! You've never seen what the Titans do to people!” the little boy was blazing with rage, his small hands put into fists as he steps towards the soldiers  
“You better watch your mouth kid”

Alena felt a wave of relief when she recognized the voice, he was alive, her family was alive. She must have missed them by a couple of minutes while she was searching. But yet here they were, her hot-headed fool of a brother was there and already getting himself in trouble like he always does. His best friends Mikasa and Armin were standing by his side as always.

She let out a shaky breath, she felt a tingling sensation in her hands, her legs felt heavier to move. Still, she ran towards the scene, strength regaining her body. She stopped the soldiers before they had the opportunity to do something she’ll make them regret. 

“ EREN!” The teal eyed boy turned his attention to her, her knees collided with the ground as she pulled him into a bear hug. Her heart was racing and her breathing was uneven. She let out a frail whimper, teardrops rolling down her face as she felt Eren’s weak arms embracing her.  
She then tightly hugged Armin and Mikasa, kissed softly the top of their heads before turning around to the officers “ I’ll take care of it, you can go now”. Her voice was harsh and determined, not leaving room for any discussion. It looked like one of them was ready to argue but decided against it once he saw that she was from the military police. 

“Whatever, teach your kid some manners, he won’t be this lucky next time”. He grumbled and stepped away with his companion. 

She turned again to face the trio and noted the long faces and dull eyes, “where is mom?” “she… she… a titan” Eren eyes were glowing in rage his tiny hand turned into a fist “ a titan broke her spine and ate her” she felt her heart drop at the announcement, her tongue felt heavier. “In front of you?” she finally managed to ask after a couple of seconds “yes, I was too weak and couldn’t help her” “there’s nothing you could have done” but I could’ve. She looked away sourly “dad?” “haven’t heard of him since he left the house”. 

They all stayed silent for a couple of minutes while she processed everything. She couldn’t believe that she had lost her parents, Carla wasn’t her real mom, not by blood, but she cared for her, braided her hair, taught her how to cook, she was the one to comfort her when she had nightmares, the one to kiss her cheeks when she used to hurt herself as a kid. She still remembered the day she shyly asked Carla the permission to call her mom. 

It was during the spring, flowers were blooming and they were having a picnic near the house. Eren was still a toddler, he had recently learned how to speak and said his first word: mama. Every time he would use that word Alena felt her heart clench in jealousy. She had no recollections of her mother, she always wanted to refer to Carla as such but was afraid of the rejection. Carla looked in her direction and noticed the discomfort on the young girl’s face.  
“What is it, Alena? I can tell there is something on your mind.”  
“It’s nothing” she blushed and looked away, pretending to be interested in the small yellow flowers near her.  
“It’s not nothing, sweetie you can tell me everything you know that right?” she always had that soft way of speaking to children, her motherly voice would always make her feel safe. Carla softly stoke her hair and looked at her expectantly  
“I.. it’s just that.. would it be okay if.. would it be okay for me to call you mom too?” she finally stammered her eyes still fixated on the flowers.  
“Oh, baby is that why you’ve been so bothered lately? Of course, you can call me mom, I already consider you to be my daughter. I hope you know that I love you just as much as I love your little brother you know that right” the girl started to sob when she said those words, she hadn’t realized how much she needed the reassurance before that day and she let herself go into Carla’s embrace. 

She couldn’t believe that the woman who raised her was gone. And her father… Was he ambushed by titans? Did something happen to him? Did he have an accident? Was he attacked by criminals on his way to Trost? Maybe they will hear of him within the next few days, maybe he was already gone. Her heart tightened even more at the thought. He was distant because of his job and sometimes quite secretive, but he was also kind and fair. She loved him and she always felt safer when he was around. She refused to lose hope just yet, she’ll have to try and look for him.

Eren interrupted her thoughts “I'm going back to Wall Maria! And I'm going to destroy every Titan! I’ll make them pay for what they have done to us”  
“Eren... You're not being serious, are you?” Armin softly tried to reason with his friend  
“I'm serious! I'm not like those guys who do nothing but act tough inside the walls!”  
“ It's impossible! There is no beating them! All we can do is live inside the walls! If we try anything, we'll die! Just like my mom and dad!” “So what? You're just gonna accept it and grovel to them then?! Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?!” She knew her brother was upset but he was going too far “There's... There's nothing we can do for now!” “That's just an excuse! If you wanna live like livestock forever, go ahead! You wimp!” She suddenly slapped Eren across the cheek causing him to fall backwards, everyone was already in pain and now was not the time for pointless arguments. She needed to put Eren back in his right mind

“Enough. I know you’re upset but this is not how you talk to your friend. You’re going to titan territory and then what? What are you going to do against them? You think that you’re better than him? You won’t last a second out there so shut it for once.”  
“If Armin's a wimp, then so are we. Whether it was running from the Titans or fleeing the town, we didn't manage anything on our own. We even had help finding food today. There's no way such powerless people can defeat even a single one of those Titans. Staying alive is what matters most. Just like your mother said. So don’t let her down” Mikasa added. Eren lowered his head down as he started to sob softly. Alena knelt down beside him and softly stroked his back.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------

Several days later, the throngs of refugees were tasked with cultivating the wastelands to secure food. However, a food shortage was unavoidable. So, in the following year of 846, the central government sent a multitude of refugees on a mission in the name of retaking Wall Maria. Alena tried to pull some strings so that Armin’s grandfather wouldn’t have to go but was eventually unsuccessful. 

“It’s not fair! You don’t have any military training, you’re old they can’t just send you out there like that.” she cried out her frustration at Mr Alert when her negotiations were yet another failure. It seemed no matter what she did, she always found herself unable to protect her close ones. 

“It’s okay, listen to me child. I’ve lived a full life and was granted a great family, an amazing grandson who I love very much. I’m not a fool. I know what is waiting for me outside of these walls and I know I won’t come back. There is no way around it, my time has come and you need to accept it. Thank you for trying so hard, you’re still young and I must apologize for putting you through this but soon you will be the only one they have left. You already have to care for Eren and Mikasa but if it’s not too much for me to ask, I’ll need you to look after my little Armin once I’m gone. “

Of the 250,000 sent, nearly 20% of the population, not even 200 survived. Although it wasn't much, their sacrifices did improve the food shortage situation for the rest of the population.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Alena pulled Armin in a tight hug as he learned about the death of his grandfather, she softly kissed his head while the weak boy whimpered in her arms. 

“We have to find a way to stop them. This world will never feel like home. That’s it. Next year I’ll apply to join the cadets. I’ll gain the strength to fight the titans”  
“Eren, no” anxiety filled Alena’s being, she could not handle the death of yet another person she cared about.  
“I’m with you” Armin cut her off “So do I” added the raven-haired girl “ what Mikasa you don't need to! You said yourself staying alive is what's important!”  
“Yes. That's why I'm doing it, so you won't die.” “Alright, the three of us then”

“Guys, you… you can’t do that. If you join the Scouts you’ll die. I can’t let you do that, I won’t” Alena was shaking, she had seen many scouts coming back within the walls, missing limbs, carts full of dead bodies or worse without them, forced to flee the battlefield and abandon their comrades. Images of Sienna and Mr Alert flew through her mind as she imagined them going into titan territory. She couldn’t bring herself to allow the last three people in her life to die out there. She needed them to be safe and sound, out there they never will be. 

Eren suddenly got up, mad at his sister for refusing to see his point of view and behaving like those cowards hiding behind the walls 

“What's the point of staying here then?! Waiting for death to come to us. I don’t want to be an idiot stuck behind those walls forever. I don’t want to be like every military officer, hanging around ignoring the truth! I refuse to be a coward” “I’m not asking you to hide, I'm asking you to stay alive Eren!” “for what? I don’t see the point of living if this is the life waiting for me. I’d rather die free than to live in this hell, you might be content with that but I’m not!” truthfully his words were hurting. She didn’t like to view herself as a weak person. But he did have a point, she was afraid, afraid for their safety and hers. Afraid of facing these titans. She was also acting like a coward. 

One look at them and she could see the determination in their eyes, holding them back would be pointless. She won’t change their minds. She sighed and lowered her head. 

“Alright. Then you have to promise me something. All three of you. I’ll let you join the military but you have to swear to me that you’ll become strong. That you’ll be the strongest, and that you won’t die.” Eren’s eyes lit up at that “ I’ll swear. We’ll become strong and we’ll destroy every titan out there!”  
\--------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night the little family went back to the rather small house Alena had bought a few years back. She was pensive while she cooked dinner -nothing too fancy, a simple vegetable broth and some freshly baked bread- she was still anxious at the idea of letting the three children enrol next year. She knew she couldn’t keep them from doing it, but she had to find a way to somehow keep them safe in this cruel world. 

They made small talk at dinner before calling it a day. Armin and Eren fantasized about exploring the world as scouts and seeing the ocean, Armin’s favourite subject. Mikasa seemed pensive but occasionally butted in. She had trouble falling asleep that night, her mind still racing from earlier. She felt Eren moving during his sleep beside her. She turned around and met with his face, his eyebrows were frowning and his mouth was pouting. His fist holding tight onto the covers. 

I won’t let them down, I’ll find a way to protect them

The morning after she cooked breakfast before her departure, she felt bad for leaving three children living alone but she had no other choice: she was now their only source of income, she needed her job more than ever which was the reason why she stayed in the Military police after the fall of the wall instead of transferring to the garrison like she originally had planned. She bent down and took the box she was hiding in the cabinets and handed it to Armin. 

“ These are your economies, there should be enough so that you guys can afford groceries and clothing I’ll send you money regularly but please be mindful and don’t spend them too much, you’ll need to last a full year after all” She chuckled  
“I trust you to be the wisest Armin I know you’ll manage to handle the budget” she gently stroked his hair and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She then moved to Mikasa and embraced her “You’ll take care of these two idiots for me when I’m not around right?” she heard the boys protests but ignored them “Hey! You just said that I was the wisest!” “Yeah but you also find yourself to often be in trouble so it’s safe to say that you’re also an idiot” Mikasa let out a soft laugh “ I promise to keep them out of trouble” “good and you” she pointed an accusing finger towards Eren “Don’t give them a hard time and stay.out.of.trouble” she accentuated each word with a flick on his forehead, he grumbled in annoyance and she finally embraced him in a bear hug “I’m sorry I can’t stay with you guys, please take care I love you all so much”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So thoughts on the chapter? Any theories on the MC yet? What did you think of her as a person? I'd love to see your theories on that. I'll try to update soon, I set myself the goal to write a chapter per week so if you like it stay tuned! Also if I made any writing mistake please point that out so that I'll be able to correct it asap.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey guys, Hope you enjoy the story
> 
> Fav and comments if you liked it? 
> 
> Next update soon!


End file.
